A thermoplastic polymer powder loaded with reinforcement elements is described in WO2009/022167. The powder is used as a feedstock for an additive powder bed manufacturing process in which the powder particles are aligned by an electromagnetic field. The powder is produced by forming a fibre and then chopping the fibre into a series of short lengths.
An object of the invention is to provide an alternative method for producing a thermoplastic polymer powder loaded with reinforcement elements which is suitable for use in such an additive powder bed manufacturing process or any other process requiring the powder particles to be aligned by an electromagnetic field.
A process for producing a polymer loaded with clay is described in WO2010/106358. However the process does not provide any means for controlling the orientation of the clay particles, and limits the reinforcement chemistry and morphology to clay materials.